Thied to coenelius beaed



(No Model.)

y WfB. TURNER 8v J. J. MANN.

DRAW BAR AND BUFFER. No. 296.801. Patented Apr. 15, 1884.

WITNBssBs: Y l W INEBNTQR n BY mog" ABY.

STAT-Es Artnr trice.

VILLAM B. TURNER, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., AND JOHN J. MANN, OF JERSEY CITY, NEY JERSEY, ASSIGNORS OF ONE-THIRD TO CORNELIUS BEARD,

OF NEW' YORK, N. Y.

DRAW-BAR AND BUFFER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 296,801, dated April 15, 1884.

Application filed February 1Q, 1884. (No model.)

Be it known that we, 7WILLL-mi B. TURNER and JOHN J. MANN, citizens of the United States oi America, residing, respectively, in

the city, county, and State oi' New York, and in Jersey City, in the county of Hudson and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Preventing Lost Motion in Draw-Heads and Buffers, of

1o which the following is a specication, reference beingA had therein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to an improvement in preventing lost motion in draw-heads and r 5 butfers for railway and other purposes; and

it consists in the peculiar combinations, construction, and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is 2o a side view of a draw-head provided with our invention. Fig. 2 is a detail showing a front yiew of the wedge-shaped block marked D in Fig. l, and Figs. 3 and 4 show modified forms of our invention. p

A A represent the ordinary stop-blocks, which are bolted to the car or draft timbers. B is the draw-head. C C are straps on the top and bottom of the stop-blocks A A. These straps C C are secured to the stop-blocks A 3o A by bolts passing downward through them, thus forming a pocket to support the followerplates c c and inner end of the draw-head. The draw-head boltf passes through the follower-plates and has a spring, g, around itand a hey, h, through the inner end. The rear end of the draw-head B acts against the front followerplate a, and compresses the spring by pushing on-it, while the key h acts on the rear follower-plate a in the other direction, 4o said. plates thus forming abutments for the spring, thereby enabling it to form acushion or yielding medium in either pulling or pushing thecar.

lt has been found to be very difficult, if not impossible, to produce a bumpenspring that will resist the enormous strains and blows to which such springs are subjected and still maintain their normal condition or lengthfor as a rule, with but very few exceptions,

these springs become set after being in use a 5o short time. The average reduction in the length of springs is about one inch. This gives the draw -head two inches of lost inotion, as it allows the draw-head bolt to play one inch in the spring and follower-plates, and also allows the follower-plates and spring to play one inch in the pocket. To automatically prevent this lost motion is the object of our invention, and we accomplish it by the use of a wedge, D, having a recess, d, which may be made to straddle the holtf and be inserted between t vo inverted blocks, E E', arranged on the draw-bar bolt, each block having an inclined side, or in front of a single block oi' corresponding shape, as shown in Fig.y v3, in which case the wedge D should preferably have one of its sides and its upper end at right angles. Should the spring g become shorter, the wedge D will drop, filling the space, and thus preventing the possibility of lost motion. Y

If preferred, the rear bloclr, E', may be dispensed with entirely by making the frontside oi the rear follower-plate inclined, when the same effect would be produced.

XVe do not limit ourselves to either of the shapes shown of the wedge D, as it is evident that it may be varied to a considerable extent without departing from the spirit of our invention; but care should be taken to have the taper of such proportions that the pressure of the spring will not cause it to rise. In some cases, to overcome this tendency to rise, the faces of the wedge D and the blocl; E that are in contact may be provided with ratchetshaped teeth arranged in opposite directions, as shown in Fig. 4; but we do not consider this usually necessary.

That we claim as new is 1. The combination, with 'a draw-head or buffer, a spring, and its abutment, of a wedge, D, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

2. The combination, with a draw-head or buffer, a spring, and its abutment, of a wedge inserted between said spring and its abutment, adapted to automatically take up or prevent lost motion, substantially as described.

,f 9'6,aoi

3. The combination, with a draw-head 0r In testimony whereof we affix oursignatures, buffer, a spring, and a Wedge-shaped block, in presence of two Witnesses, this 9th day of of a Wedge, D, inserted between said spring February, 1884. and block, substantially as and for the pur- 5 pose specified. WILLIAM B. TURNER.

4. The combination ofadraw-head,aspring, JOHN J. MANN. g, a Wedge, D, having a recess, d, and two inverted-Wedge-shaped blocks, all constructed, Witnesses: arranged, and operating substantially as de- JOHN T. MCLAUGHLIN, 1o scribed. J AMEs MOLAUGHLIN. 

